24/01/2022
IE University’s Dual Degree Master in Management + Master in Finance prepares students for a wide range of career opportunities. Learn how program alum Maximilian Tempel landed a role at Bank of America post graduation.
The IE Finance and Capital Markets Club recently organized a Q&A session with Dual Degree Master in Management + Master in Finance grad Maximilian Tempel, with the aim of inspiring current students and offering them some insight into the world of banking. The club, which organizes plenty of finance-related events over the course of the academic year, is designed to bring in professionals working in the industry, in order to increase students’ knowledge of the current finance sector and create networking opportunities.
Now a FIG Investment Banking Associate for Bank of America in Madrid, Maximilian emphasized his far-from-conventional career path and his desire to break away from the crowd and step into a dynamic working environment within the financial services industry.
An investment in the future
Maximilian started his career in auditing at KPMG in Luxembourg after having completed an undergraduate degree in economics in Belgium, where he was raised. Following this great learning experience, he was interested in finding another challenge within financial services. He decided to begin exploring the available fields within finance, which led him to the Dual Degree Master in Management + Master in Finance at IE University. The program helped him broaden his horizons and open doors to new opportunities.
Fast forward to today, and the IE University alum now forms part of a group of financial professionals who provide investment expertise and advisory services to clients at one of the world’s biggest banks.
He puts much of his success down to the London-based internship at Bank of America Merrill Lynch that he landed in 2016 thanks to both the skills he learned at IE Univiersty and his own extensive networking efforts.
It’s all about the people
Though the program provided participants with a taste of several different areas of finance, it was the teams themselves that influenced Maximilian’s career decision, since he was able to develop a good relationship with the junior members of the team.
Maximilian highlighted the importance of clicking with the people you work with rather than focusing solely on the content or the role in your job.
“That’s one of the points I want you to take from today. I think one of the most important things in this industry is to really like the people you work with. I think the subject itself is not always the most important thing,” said Tempel.
Maximilian’s insights for future finance professionals
The event’s attendees comprised both undergraduate and graduate students from a range of programs. Maximilian was quick to emphasize that the finance and banking sectors were open to applicants from a variety of academic backgrounds, having worked alongside young graduates who studied a wide range of subjects such as English, history, philosophy and psychology during his time in London.
That said, Maximilian explained to students that those with backgrounds in other sectors should put in work outside of the classroom to ensure they’re able to compete with finance students in the selection process.
This can be something as simple as reading through the main headlines in the Financial Times on a daily basis.
Maximilian also explained how he believes starting small and applying for internships at smaller boutique investment banks can often work in your favor. Though the numbers on the spreadsheet may be smaller than at a larger bulge bracket bank, you’re likely to gain more exposure and access to transactions given the smaller teams.
